Animal trap



Jan. 3, 1950 .1. N. BLAIR 2,492,957

ANIMAL TRAP Filed Sept. 17, 1947 5 Shets-Sheet l m n 5E? 1' m :3 :5 magi M w m I l a l9 2! FIG-l. 22 I "I CL 1 C I I j s V a Q v i INVENY'OR. fiEPl-l N.BLAI

A m'ro RNEY I Jan. 3, 1950 J. N. BLAIR 2,492,957

ANIMAL TRAP Filed Sept. 17, 1947 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 na-4L 3G Z; INVENTOR.

JOSEPH u BLAIR ATTORNEY J. N. BLAIR ANIMAL TRAP Jan. 3, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 17, 1947 FIG].

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INVENTOR. JOSEPH N.BLAIR A ATTORNEIY Patented Jan. 3, 1950 i TRAP resent-1e? Blair, Detroit; Mich.

= Application Septeinber'li', 1947',E-Serial No. 7774;632 eclaims. (c1. 4a-s1) This invention relates to animal traps and 'wardly arcuately slotted at 1 to permit the 'strik-' particularly trapss'ervingtokill a-trappedanimal. ing bar of the striker to'enter the lowerfront per-- An object of the invention' isto provide an imtion of the enclosure. A sheet metal bracket" I proved trip meehanismfor the spring actuated rigidly surmounting the rear end of the enclostriker otanfanimaltrapi sure hasa wire element 3 rigidly upwardly proqtnothen obiect is-to equipan-animal trap with jecting therefrom and serving as a hanger forhan arr-enclosureforming-apassage for-theapproach arm Ill for holding the striker in set position; of -air-aniI-nal--to=atripping lever and to adapt a Relatively transverseinterengaged eyelets H and strikerswhen releasedbysaid lever, to swing down l2 formed respectivelyon the hanger 9 and arm:- throughrthe enclosurevand'take effect therein. in I ll, afi'ord said arm alimited universal play. In Anotheif-cbjectisto:dispose a baitholder cenexercising its function, the arm l0 extends downtrally-upon==a suitab1e base'and to-mount a pluwardly across the striking bar; resisting theefiort rality of-traps-on such base'afiordinganimal-pasof the springs 6. A latch member, 13, for-holding sages, radiating from said' holder. the arm IOin set position is centrally fixed: on an, Anethenobject:is-toadapt an animal trap to be -l5 endof a rock shaft l4 'journaled ina bearing l5 insertedbeneathaigarbaige 'eanand-to be intercarried rigidly by the bracket, said rockgshart lockedwith'andyserve'asabase-for said can. being transverse to the enclosure I. Said latch 'These'andwarious other objects are attained member is formed of stiff sheet metal and. has a, by theconstructionhereinafter described "and illug I6 serving as a keeper for the arm- Hl. Said lustratedr-in theaccompanying-drawings, where- 20 lugpresents to the arm lllan arcuately recessed in: edge; Ilia (see Fig. 5) from which the arm may be i1ei i- -t rpl i fl 1mprbv d t readily released when swung. transversely ot the showing its striker in released position. enclosure. The latch memberalso comprises a Wig. 2 is axside elevational view" of-the same. p Of upper and lower urved lugs li and l l'a Fig. '3 is alongitudinalvertical-sectional view, emwhich oppositely engage the setting arm, upon taken st qi 3-3- otFig. 1 and'showing-the rocking of the. latch member to. deflect it cleariof' strikerdnrset position. he e r 16,,

-Fig.- '4 is'a tront view of -thertrapas shown in To efiect rocking of the latch-member, the rock Fi g.-3, shaft I 4 has a downwardlybent end: 18 pivotally; Figs5'is a -perspectiveviewof a latch member "enga y, a forwardly e ding wire link 19. fcr-the strikeri The forward end of said link is pivoted above the, --Fig.-6eisvaltopmlanwiewof 'ainultlple'trap 'comen l r o he upp n of a rip"1ev r 0mbining afiplurality of the-mechanismsillustrated p ng a Wire po t n 29 proje g e. he by Eigs. -1=-5= pivotpin 2- of "said lever and through aislot 22 fl is aside elevaticnalviwofsaid-multiple in :the enclosure top. Said *p'ivpt pin extends; trapl'with aco'ver applied: thereto. transversely of the "enclosure in its top;port-ion,v wig. d is wside elevation"of said multiple trap and t p v r c mpri i 'pl tetidepend serving as a base for aig'arbage can. om. Sa pi an obstructing the n m l "D FigJa-isa r-ragiiieiitary sectional view taken on Sage fo m y he en losure. In the lower: north li e 9-9 of Fig 3 v tion of the plate 23, interrupting the lower edge In the trap il lu'strated-byd igs. an elonofjthepl an opening mn' hwhich n gatcdrectangular open-ended'sheetmetalenclce animal may insert its head and the margin of" sure I is secured in any desired:mannerto:ja base suchvopening'islflafi ed rea r y fl esis witli- 2. Straddling the rear portion or said enclosure drawalrof the animals head. 'As willpresently is a substantially fi shaped'strikr 3, its yoke 4 *appear', bait may be disposed adjacent the rear portion: forming a striking. bar to, The striker end of the enclosure and the plate 23 is preferablybe 'i'omitid of stiff wire, andfhas angneoexperforaitedjs at 2'5, to more; readily transmittlie tensions 4 from its ends, journaled in a pair of odor of thei'baitito'theentrance of t he enclosure. brackets 5 fixed on the base at opposite sides of In use of the described trap, the striker is held the enclosure. The extensions 4 carry coiled in set position, as has been described, by the setsprlngs 8 within the enclosure I, each having an ting arm Hi, which is in turn held in place by the end portion to projecting rearwardly and stressed latch member It. An animal entering the front against the base, and having its other end portion end of the enclosure encounters the plate 23 and 6b stressing the striker forwardly and downwardin attempting to pass such plate swings it slightly 1y. The forward portion of the enclosure is downto the rear. Such swinging transmits through 3 the link IS a slight rocking travel to the latch member l3, whereby the arm Ill is deflected clear of the keeper I 6. This permits the striker to snap down, responsive to the springs 6, and the bar 3a forcefully. encounters the neck or back of the animal, instantly killing the latter.

The multiple trap shown in Figs. 6 and '7 comprises a circular casing 26 including a base 21, and having a removable cover 28. In its peripheral wall, the casing. has a plurality of animal inlets 29, preferably equally spaced. From each inlet 29 an elongated enclosure la, such as has been described extends radially inward and with each enclosure is associated all the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1-5. The inner ends of the enclosures la jointly form a central chamber in the casing 26, and a foraminous bait receiver 30 is disposed in such chamber.

In the construction shown by Figs. 8 and 9, a multiple trap such as has just been described is fitted beneath a garbage can 3!, the'cover 28 being of course omitted. The lower end portion of the wall of the can 3! extends sufiiciently below the'can bottom to receivethe top portion of the casing 26; and assist in maintaining the can centered on the trap. In order that the odor of the garbage may be transmitted to the trap,

an open-topped passage 32 is interiorly extended from the upper portion to the bottom of the can and is radially extended on thebottom, the latter having a, central opening 33 through which said passage communicates centrally with the casing 26. Thus the passage 32 may transmit garbage odors to the trap from the upper portion of the can, rendering baiting of the trap superfluous.

The described trap has been found highly efiec- V tive in catching and killing rats, this being its primary utility.

What I claim is:

1. An animal trap comprising a base, a striker having a striking bar substantially parallel to said base and a pair of spaced swinging arms interconnected by said bar, means on the base establlshing a pivotal axis for said arms, substantially parallel to the striker bar, a spring urging the striker about said axis toward the base, a setting arm for the striker, means pivoting said arm to be swung across the striking bar, in a raised position of the striker for maintaining such po sition, a rockable latch element having a keeper engageable, in one pivotal position of said element, with the setting arm to maintain the effec- 2. An animal trap as set forth in claim 1, said tripping lever being positioned to be straddled by-the striker arms, in swinging travel of the striker.

ing from the lever pivot for animal actuation, and

' lelism with the striking bar to releasesuch arm 3. An animal trap as set forth in claim 1, said tripping lever having an arm downwardly extendfrom the keeper of the latch element, the rocking axis of the latch element being substantially parallel to the striking bar.

6. In an animal trap as set forth in claim 1, an enclosure providing an animal approach to the tripping lever, such enclosure surmounting the base, and being straddled by the arms of the striker and being downwardly slotted to accorn modate the striking bar. Y

7. An animal trap comprising a base, an en closure surmounting said base having an animal inlet and forming a passage extendingfrom such inlet, a tripping lever obstructing said passage in a spaced relation to said inlet, means pivoting said lever adjacent to the top of said en-f closure about an axis substantially transverse to said passage, a striker having a striking bar transverse to said passage and a pair of arms interconnected by said bar and straddling said enclosure, means pivoting said arms to swing about an axis transverse to said passage, such axis being more remote from the inlet than said tripping lever, a spring urging the striker about its pivotal axis toward the inlet, the enclosure being slotted between the tripping lever and inlet to admit said bar, means for latching the striker in a raised position, and a release mechanismfor said latch means, operatively' connected to the tripping lever.

8. An animal trap comprising a base, a bait container centrally disposed on said base, a plurality of enclosures surmountin'g said base and forming animal passages. radiating outwardly from the bait container and havingan'imal inlets at their outer ends, tripping levers respectively obstructing the respective passages in said onclosures, strikers releasable by the tripping lev'e'rsj" including striking bars downwardly actuable into the enclosures between their inlets and the cor spring actuating responding tripping V levers, means for the strikers, means for latching the strikers in raised positions, and release 'mecha-"' nisms for the, latching means operatively corinected to the tripping levers. 1

JOSEPH N. BLAIR.

REFERENCES CITED file of this patent: v V

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Italy .'Ma 11, 1933 

